The present invention relates to a light hardening apparatus for hardening a light hardenable material.
A light hardening apparatus of this type has long been conventionally known, whereby reference can be had, for example, to the light hardening apparatus disclosed in DE-PS 198 15 846. Such light hardening apparatus operate to harden light hardenable material such as, for example, material in the mouth of a patient, and are additionally deployed for hardening light polymerizable dental material. Printed circuits are available when a rapid and cost efficient configuration of a circuit needs to be realized. In the solution disclosed in DE-PS 198 15 846, a conductor plate extends vertically to the light exit device of the light source transversely through the handgrip of the light hardening apparatus. Electronic and electrical components are disposed on the printed circuit which, in part, also contribute to a power loss and, thus, operate as heat sources.
Light hardening apparatus are typically provided with heat emitting light sources. In this respect, halogen lamps or a multiple arrangement of LED chips are deployed. The heat given off by the light source is typically conducted away by a blower which is arranged in the rearward region of the extent of the pistol-shaped light hardening apparatus.
In order to be able to cool the components mounted on the handgrip of the light hardening apparatus, such as, for example, a longitudinal regulation transistor for the light source, it has been suggested to provide additional cooling air slots on the underside of the handgrip. A neighboring cooling air stream is to be flowed through such slots with the neighboring cooling air stream combining with the principal cooling stream from the blower. However, this solution has various disadvantages.
One disadvantage is that the principal cooling air stream and the neighboring cooling air stream extend substantially vertically adjacent one another. In the region in which the streams combine with one another, there occurs turbulence which significantly reduces the flow strength of the air stream.
Diversion ribs can, indeed, be deployed in order to achieve a less turbulent air stream. However, in a hand-held device, only a relatively small amount of space is available and additional air stream diversion measures would extend the configured length of the device, which is undesirable. If the longitudinal control transistor is simply mounted on the printed circuit board, the cooling effect of the neighboring air stream is significantly limited, in that the neighboring cooling air stream can only flow over the transistor with a reduced flow velocity. The possibility exists to mount a cooling device on the transistor so that the cooling efficiency is substantially improved. A cooling device of this type is comprised principally of metal and increases the weight of the light hardening apparatus, which is not desired.
The use of a solution of this type is, in any event, not possible if a light hardening apparatus having an accumulator disposed thereon, whose energy source is located in the handgrip, is to be used, as this necessitates that the entire electronic layout must be disposed in the transition region between the handgrip and the balance of the light hardening apparatus.